As we begin the second semester of our school year, we will find ourselves wondering where the time went. We wonder how many emergency days do we have left? What happens if…?
The biggest “what if?” has to do with APPR. Very recently, it has been passed in the legislature that State Assessments can be decoupled from teacher evaluations. It will be up to individual districts to locally negotiate for their district. At this point, we are still awaiting further guidance from NYSUT in the best way to negotiate. Another what if…
What if we negotiate a contract? By the time you read this “President’s Message,” the negotiating committee should be in active negotiations. When a possible settlement is reached, it must be presented to the MTA executive board, who then vote on whether the package should move forward. If it moves forward, then the MTA representative council (made up of your elected reps from each building) will vote to present it to the total membership. From there, there will be a general assembly meeting to present the package. Members can ask “clarifying” questions to better understand the presented package. There is no debate regarding the package. The second general assembly meeting will be held, where members can voice their opinions. After that, a vote is put to the member-ship.
As we move forward, we will have some important dates coming up. The first will be the MTA scholarship. Once we have dates, we will let the members know. In May, their will be elections (like every year), so If any member is interested in running for position, that is your time to make a difference. Please remember that you must be a member in good stand-ing in order to run for a position.
Finally, as we continue on in this new year, I pray that everyone has a wonderful second half of the year!